This invention relates to storage containers such as picnic coolers, and, more particularly, to a storage container which includes a removable lid which has a hinge extending across the lid.
The invention will be explained in conjunction with a picnic cooler. However, it will be understood that the invention can be used with other types of storage containers.
Picnic coolers conventionally include an open-topped container body and a lid for closing the top of the container body. In some coolers the lid is permanently attached to the container by a hinge, and the lid pivots about the hinge. In other coolers the lid is completely removable. Both types of coolers have certain disadvantages.
A hinged lid generally requires additional costs for the hinges and the attaching hardward and for the labor for attaching the lid. The hinges are subject to breaking and are perceived by some customers as being a potential source of product failure. A permanently attached lid interferes with emptying the container and with cleaning the container and the lid. A lid which is completely removable from the container body can be lost or misplaced, and some consumers are reluctant to purchase a cooler with a removable lid for that reason.
Some old wicker or cane picnic baskets included a cover which covered a portion of the top of the basket and which was permanently attached to the basket. A lid was hingedly attached to the cover for closing the remainder of the top of the container. However, the cover was not removable from the basket, and the hinge was a conventional hinge which had to be attached to the cover and to the lid.